Phase change materials, often chalcogenides, are materials with two distinct states—crystalline and amorphous. Due to the distinctly different electrical resistivities of these two states in some chalcogenides, such as GST (which may have relative atomic ratios of about two parts Ge to about two parts Sb to about five parts Te), they are useful in memory devices, such as those known in the art as “phase change random access memory” (PCRAM or PRAM) devices, as well as in DVD-ROM (digital video disc-read-only memory) storage media.
Ever-increasing demands in speed and performance require that device densities increase and feature sizes decrease from one device generation to the next. Accordingly, state-of-the-art PCRAM devices may have very thin (currently about 10 Å or less) phase change components. Some existing processes for depositing phase change materials, including GST, in which the phase change materials are deposited in thin (e.g., about 1,500 Å thick) layers, do not form layers with good conformality, or coverage. As phase change materials are typically deposited onto non-planar surfaces, the surface of the deposited film of phase change material is also non-planar. In fact, slight plug recesses (e.g., about 100 Å deep or less) beneath a film of phase change material may result in even larger non-planarities in the surface of the film. Irregularities, such as recesses, in the surface of a film of phase change material may also appear, and even be amplified, in layers (e.g., a titanium nitride (TiN) film) that are subsequently formed.
These non-planarities may be problematic during subsequent processing (e.g., in patterning masks and the use of such masks to define electrodes, etc.), as well as in operation of a PCRAM device (e.g., diminish reliability, cause cycling issues, etc.). In addition, non-planarities in a film of phase change material may result in poor contact between the phase change material and an overlying layer (e.g., TiN), could cause the phase change material to function in a manner different from that desired (e.g., by altering the desired spatial distribution of the phase change material), such as the ability of the phase change material to cycle between its two conductive states, or the required conditions for effecting such cycling, or otherwise reduce the reliability of a device including the phase change material.
The inventors are not aware of any available processes or compounds that are tailored for polishing or planarizing phase change materials such as GST.